**I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender (duh)
As the party gradually worked their way through the castle, they encountered demons of all different sizes, abilities, and classes. None of them were as powerful or as dangerous as the leviathan that had destroyed Shiro's monastery, but they were ruthless opponents nonetheless. With Evren's brute strength and sacred scrolls, Yorak's and Kosmo's speed and agility in battle, and Cerulean's temporary upgrades to their weapons, their band cut down each of their opponents and made it to the top of the Castle of Shadows much faster than anticipated. Tired but ready to face the final bosses, their party burst through the doors to the tallest tower.
"Princess Romelle! We're here to save you!" Pike announced, glancing around for any sign of her. His attention landed on the only two figures who occupied the center of the room: a woman in a black hood and cloak, and the Innkeeper Coran. "Um, what's the new Innkeeper doing here?"
A grin stretched out across the Innkeeper's face, his eyes glinting with malicious mischief. Suddenly, the doors slammed shut and a cage attached to a chain linked to the ceiling fell, landing on top of the party and trapping them. The bars sparked and crackled with purple lightning, forcing them to creep away from the edges.
"Ha ha ha! Foolish heroes!" the Innkeeper bellowed. "You've fallen right into our trap!"
"I freaking knew it," Pidge muttered.
"What the heck, Coran? You said we killed Dakin!" Lance snapped, interrupting the giggling Altean advisor before he could continue with their game.
"You did kill Dakin," Coran assured him. "In this round, I am…"
The Innkeeper dramatically threw off his tavern uniform, dropping his humanoid disguise as he transformed into a massive sneering leviathan with red eyes, dripping fangs, and fiery wings. His signature mustache still remained, decorating his snout. Flames flicked from his jaw as he laughed at their shocked expressions.
"You! You're the leviathan that killed my master, D'Jahno!" Shiro cried, his eyes blazing with fury as he glowered up at the beast.
"You tricked us!" Meklavar growled, frustratedly (and uselessly) beating her axe blade against the bars of their prison.
"Let the princess go, leviathan!" Shiro demanded, his sword aflame and ready for action. "Face me for what you've done to my master!"
A peal of cool laughter emitted from the robed lady, drawing the trapped adventurers' attention to her. "Fools! There is no princess! There never was!" she cackled. "For I am none other than…" – she whipped off her cloak, revealing her horned-crown and sleek black dress – "Merla! Queen of Darkness and commander of all demons!"
"Romelle? You're Merla?" Allura exclaimed.
"I thought you said you weren't good at playing Monsters and Mana," Hunk frowned.
"Oh, I lied," Romelle replied simply, a prideful grin in her voice. "I was the reigning Lore Master of the colony. The other players were so scared of my quests, they even called me the Queen of Darkness. It's no wonder actual Merla hated our games."
"She's quite good at it, too," Coran pitched in. "She came up with most of this quest herself."
"Ack, what a twist!" Scarlett whispered, and Romelle laughed.
"I know! It's so fun, isn't it?" she gushed.
Merla stood before the party members, her loyal leviathan waiting by her side. "How dare you kill my servant, Dakin?" she spat, pointing an accusing finger at them. "You will pay dearly for his death! I will rid this realm of all righteous heroes and my demons will take over the land!"
Her hands crackled with dark magic as she prepared to unleash an attack that would no doubt obliterate their group. Evren frantically glanced around their prison before her eyes landed on the top of the cage where the chain was attached. It was the only part that wasn't electrified.
"Everyone, stand back!" she warned before leaping up and kicking the metal with so much force, it sent the cage flying upward. The freed heroes scrambled out of the way as it fell back to earth, landing on top of the leviathan and Merla and momentarily incapacitating them.
"What's the plan while they're distracted?" Cerulean asked.
"We're gonna have to split up for this one," Yorak firmly decided. "Shiro, you take on the leviathan and avenge your master. Cerulean, you go with him to provide support. Evren will read from her demon scrolls to weaken it. The rest of us will take down Merla."
The others nodded in confirmation, a brilliant determination burning in their eyes. On the other side of the room, Leviathan Coran finally managed to throw the now mangled remains of the cage off, freeing himself and Merla. In an instant, the group of heroes split, leaping into their plan of action.
"Wall of Fire!" Block shouted, and a jet of flames burst forth from his staff. It snaked along the floor, separating the queen from her servant.
"You think you can win by thinning your forces? Ha!" Leviathan Coran snarled as he faced the three members on his side of the room. "Then you have chosen death!"
He swiped a claw at them and the trio nimbly dodged. A tail whipped around to catch them, only for Evren to grab it. She lifted it over her head and flipped the demon into the wall with a heavy crash, taking chunks of rock out of the tower and sending him sprawling in a dazed heap.
"You tinker with Shiro's weapons while I keep him distracted," she instructed the artificer before leaping away to avoid another blow from their enemy.
Cerulean quickly did as she was told. Shiro's two swords glowed as she infused them with a temporary magical upgrade. "You should be able to dual wield them now," she said, watching as he lifted and twirled them both with ease. "I've also increased their strength and reach. Every hit you land will have twice the damage, at least for the next few minutes."
"Thank you, Cerulean. I won't let your efforts go to waste," Shiro promised her. He faced the demon, jaw set with determination. "It's time, master. Finally, I will avenge you and complete my training."
With a warrior's cry, he charged the leviathan and unleashed a flurry of vicious swipes and jabs with his dual wielding skills. Leviathan Coran howled in rage, turning his attention on the attacking paladin and allowing Evren to retreat to the sidelines. She produced a scroll from her inventory, unfurling it and beginning to murmur the ancient spells upon the parchment. The scroll glowed brighter as she read, and the leviathan hissed in pain at the sound of the incantations, the pure and sacred magic slowly working its way into the air and weakening him. He swished his tail, flinging deadly debris at the monk, but Cerulean and Zee quickly jumped in front of her. At the artificer's command, her mechanical companion transformed into a shield and the rubble bounced harmlessly off his metal skin.
Meanwhile, the other party members were in the midst of their battle against Queen Merla. The sorceress was quite formidable, besieging the five heroes and their wolf with relentless attacks of dark energy and shrieking lighting bolts. She summoned demons from the shadows, distracting them and hindering their movements. Meklavar and Yorak tried to close the distance between their group and the enemy, their blades slashing down their opponents in between dodges. Block and Valayun were on long-distance duty at the edges of the room – while he unleashed magical attacks from his staff, she fired arrow after arrow, inflicting minimal damage on Merla and healing her companions whenever their HP became critically low. Pike and Kosmo were all over the place, providing support with their superior stealth and speed as they helped their teammates escape Merla's sneaky fatal attacks.
One of Valayun's arrows pierced Merla's side and Yorak landed a hit. She shrieked as more of her health dropped and she released an overwhelming wave of dark power, throwing the heroes backwards against the wall and stunning them upon impact.
"Give up! You heroes are no match for me!" she roared, absolutely seething as her power swirled, making her blonde locks flap wildly around her head. "You will fall before me and my demons!"
"It's too late, Queen of Darkness! You've already lost!" Shiro exclaimed, and everyone's attention turned to him. Writhing beneath the power of Evren's sacred spells, the leviathan was withering away. His two swords ablaze, Shiro let out a final war cry before impaling the demon straight through the heart. The leviathan screeched, its body set alight with the fire from his blades. Light burst forth from the demon, engulfing the room in a blinding white blast. Merla screamed and the heroes braced themselves as the creature exploded, blowing away the roof and walls of the tower in the process. When the dust had settled, the leviathan that had killed D'Jahno was no more, purged from the realm at the hand of a mighty paladin.
Shiro let out a shaky breath, relief and acceptance pooling in his eyes. His party mates gathered around him, clapping him on the back and cheering in triumph. Their victory was short lived though as Merla still stood before them, an ominous power rolling off her person.
"This isn't over yet," she growled, the clouds darkening in the open skies above.
"That explosion must've done a number on her. She's only got one bar of health left," Meklavar realized, pointing out the queen's decreased stats.
"Let's take her out in one more combo attack!" Pike grinned, raring to go, and the others nodded in agreement.
Now eight heroes and one wolf against one weakened sorceress, their final battle went exceptionally well. With Cerulean granting their weapons one last upgrade, the party leapt into action. Evren pounded a fist into the floor, shattering the tiles and the stone beneath and causing Merla to stumble. Her first wave of attacks went awry and missed their marks, and Valayun took the chance to fire arrows into the queen's ankles. She yowled and sank to her knees, prompting Block to cast a spell that caused the ground around her to turn into a sticky sludge, immobilizing her. Merla gnashed her teeth and raised her hands to fire a round of lightning at them, only for Pike to quickly bring Valayun and Block to safety. She turned on Shiro as he tried to approach and fired at him. Luckily, Kosmo leapt in her path and his massive form blocked her attack, protecting the paladin. Shocked by the snarling wolf looming over her, Merla didn't even notice as Yorak and Meklavar ran up behind her. Swinging back their weapons, they landed the defeating blow on the queen.
A terrible shriek tore from Merla's throat as she was thrown forward, the last of her health depleted. Lightning flashed in the skies and the winds picked up, nearly blowing the party off the tower. Another brilliant beam of light illuminated the queen and the Castle of Shadows, and everyone screwed their eyes shut to protect their precious retinas from being scorched.
The world went silent and still for several seconds. Then a pleasant breeze washed over the heroes. Upon reopening their eyes, the realm was vibrant and anew with life. The dark clouds had cleared, revealing blue skies and fluffy white clouds. A golden sun warmed them from the chill that had once afflicted them while venturing through the queen's territory. The dark mist that had engulfed the Castle of Shadows had all but melted away, returning it to a grand estate free of demons. To the party's surprise, Merla remained where she knelt, her slim black dress replaced with one of a frilly and rosy pink. The evil energy that afflicted her had washed away, revealing the innocent girl that had been trapped beneath.
"Whoa," Pike gasped, rubbing his eyes in disbelief. "What happened to her?"
"It's like she's been exorcised," Block said. "Purified."
Merla blinked, the last of her confusion fading. She looked up at the heroes gathered before her, guilt and sorrow swirling in her bright purple eyes. "I've been controlled by dark magic for so long…I've done so many terrible things," she said slowly, her voice thick with regret. "I'm so, so sorry. Please, just take me away. Kill me if you must."
"This sounds like another trick," Meklavar said, unable to shed her wary scowl.
Shiro frowned, confliction in his gaze as he observed the fallen queen. "D'Jahno said defeating the leviathan would teach me all there is to know," he murmured, almost to himself. "This last part of my training, it's…"
"...Showing mercy and kindness, even to your enemies," Valayun realized, her features softening. She hesitated before approaching Merla and kneeling before her. "I'm afraid we cannot easily forget and forgive what you've done to the people of this realm," she admitted, but her tone was not unfriendly as she gently addressed the queen. "But killing you is out of the question. Let's start by righting your wrongs and healing those you've hurt."
Valayun held out a hand to her and Merla stared at it in genuine surprise. She glanced uncertainly at the other adventurers and was met with approving nods and encouraging grins, all of them in support of their archer's decision. A light of hope sparked in the sorceress' eyes and she smiled nervously before accepting Valayun's outstretched hand, allowing herself to be pulled to her feet. Together, the group of heroes gazed out at the colorful land below, ready to face whatever quest awaited them next.
"Dang it," Lance sniffled, his voice quivering as he vainly tried to stifle his tears. "That was beautiful."
"I've always enjoyed a happy ending," Romelle admitted, sounding teary herself.
"This round was so exciting!" Allura chimed in. "I loved seeing the new characters and their unique skills."
"I like how accessible everything is now," Pidge piped up, and Meklavar did a little jig on their screens.
Shiro let out a tiny laugh. "That was a great quest, you guys," he said, a smile in his voice. "Nice work, Coran and Romelle."
Coran hummed to himself, quietly basking in the praise. "What did our three new players think?" he inquired. "Did you enjoy yourselves?"
"Yeah! It was actually a lot of fun," Scarlett confirmed.
"It's a good way to pass the time," Keith agreed.
"I'd be down for more rounds in the future," Mari noted.
Coran giggled, overjoyed at their responses. "I'm glad to hear it!" he exclaimed. "We've got plenty of time before we get to Earth. Perhaps we'll be able to solve the rest of your quests before we arrive."
The loud rumbling of Hunk's stomach abruptly interrupted their conversation. "Gosh, it's already that time," he realized, patting his tummy. "My gut is telling me it's ready for din-din. Who else is hungry?"
"Me!" everyone chorused in reply, prompting Hunk to stand and stretch and begin dinner preparations in the back of the Yellow Lion.
After hours of adventuring and problem solving, it was time for them to take a break, sit back and relax, and enjoy a warm meal in each other's merry company.
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